Thursday, November 19, 2015

Arsenal 2015-2016: November

Wednesday November 4, 2015 Arsenal at Bayern Munich 2:45PM EST Champions League Group Stages Match Day 4


Despite the amazing 2-0 victory over Bayern Munich on Match Day 3, the task facing Arsenal in terms of qualifying for the knockout stages of the Champions League is monumental. Of course Arsenal put themselves in a hole by losing to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos in the first two rounds, but with three matches left qualifying for the last 16 is still possible.

Making today's match even more difficult are several factors:

  • Bayern are one of the best teams in Europe and want revenge for the last match in London.
  • Arsenal are without a number of key players including Theo Walcott, the Ox, Hector Bellerin, Aaron Ramsey, Jack Wilshere and more.
  • Arsenal are preparing for this weekend's North London derby with Spuds as they continue to chase the EPL title.

 So here's hoping that Arsenal can get a positive result today and keep the club's Champions League hopes alive.









 Well that was a colossal mess. The final score of 5-1 was flattering. Bayern Munich are just at a different level and frankly seem a sure bet to make it to the finals next Spring. 



After Robert Lewandowski's header gave Bayern the lead in the 10th minute, Mesutz Ozil equalized and it was game on. Unfortunately, the goal was disallowed for a phantom handball. From there it was all Bayern. Giroud got one back in the 69th minute but it was game, set and match way before that.


Arsenal still have a chance to qualify for the knock-out rounds, but there are a lot of things that have to fall in to place for this to happen. Of course the obvious thing that Arsenal need to do is win the last two group matches versus Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos.










Sunday November 8, 2015 Arsenal vs. Tottenham 11AM EST



Regardless of the midweek humbling at the hands of Bayern Munich, the North London derby is a match that Arsenal are always up for. With Arsenal near the top of the table and the fact that Tottenham are, well Tottenham, means that this is a match that we need to win, should win and must win.

So, what do you think of Tottenham? What do you think of shit? Come on Arsenal.









 In the end, the points were shared. Overall it was a disappointing match from an Arsenal point of view. The team looked slow and lethargic in the first half. Things got worse when the new poster boy for English football, Harry Kane slotted home in the 32nd minute. Regardless, I was confident that Arsenal would come back and win the match.


Arsenal upped the tempo a bit in the second half and looked threatening. Still a goal never came. Finally in the 77th minute Arsenal scored from an unlikely source. Three minutes after Kieran Gibbs entered the match as a sub he was in position in front of goal to meet a Mesut Ozil cross and put the ball in to the back of the net. It wasn't pretty, but it did the job and Arsenal were back in the match.

The go ahead goal never came and it was a point a piece. Arsenal had the chance to jump Manchester City in the table after their 0-0 draw with Aston Villa, but remain second on goal differential.

Next up is a two week international break which for many of the players will be a welcome break and it gives our injured players (Ramsey, Walcott, Chamberlain, Wilshere, Bellerin) a chance to heal and get back on the pitch.











 Saturday November 21, 2015 Arsenal at West Brom 10AM EST
The two week international break is over and it's back to the league today for Arsenal. With a true title challenge on, it's imperative that Arsenal pick up maximum points from games like this. After a rather tough run of fixtures, Arsenal are finally graced with matches against a number of the teams towards the bottom half of the table. (After West Brom comes Norwich, Sunderland and Aston Villa).



It's games like these where Arsenal need to show that they have what it takes to be champions. As we've seen time and time again in the league, you really can't take any team lightly. Facing a team managed by Tony Pulis was always a bit of a battle, but his days at the helm at the Cavemen of Stoke are over and West Brom thankfully doesn't possess thugs like Ryan Shawcross and Charlie Adam.




Here's hoping that the match is as easy on the pitch as it is on paper and Arsenal walk away with all three points.






What a nightmare of a match and a nightmare of a performance.  Of course that means a return to the #WengerOut brigade and all the negative whining and vitriol that comes with any Arsenal stumble. In addition to Arsenal blowing an opportunity to go top of the table and stake their name as title contenders, they also lost midfield rock Francis Coquelin to injury that will keep him out for three months.


 It all started well with both teams feeling each other out.  The breakthrough came in the 28th minute when Olivier Giroud headed in a free kick from Mesut Ozil. Unfortunately it all went downhill from there.



West Brom equalized in the 35th minute from terrible Arsenal defending, but that was just a prelude to the disaster that was yet to come. When Coquelin limped off in the 14th minute Mikel Arteta came on as a substitute. Arteta soon proved that the venom directed at him from Arsenal fans might be warranted. In the 40th minute Arteta scored the winning goal...unfortunately it was for the other team. Whatever the hell he was trying to do on defense who knows, but he inexplicably ended up putting the ball in to the Arsenal net.

But wait, it gets worse. Alexis was fouled in the 74th minute and the ref signaled penalty. The usually reliable Santi Cazorla stepped up, slipped and sent the ball sailing over the net.

 After that it was same old, same old Arsenal. They had 73% of the possession, 3 times as many shots on target and once again couldn't turn their domination in to victory.


The only guys that looked like they came to play were Ozil and Alexis. Other than that, everyone needs to get their act together or take a seat on the bench. Unfortunately with all the bodies currently out, there is no more room on the bench.






Tuesday November 24, 2015 Arsenal vs. Dinamo Zagreb 2:45PM Champions League Group Stages Match Day 5 
So now it's on to the Champions League for Arsenal and it's simple what they have to do to even have a chance of qualifying...win. If Arsenal win and Bayern top Olympiakos today, then Arsenal will go in to Match Day 6 with a chance of making it to the knock out rounds despite the tremendous hole the club put itself in.



Some are saying Arsenal should give up on the Champions League and concentrate on the league. Personally, that's a pretty lame thought for a club of Arsenal's level. If Arsenal want to finally join the European elite they have to take every match seriously and put in a strong performance. I'd be really disappointed if they didn't do that despite all the injuries the club currently has.








Talk about Jekyl and Hyde. After this past weekend's shambolic performance against West Brom, the Arsenal that we saw today might as well have been a completely different group of 11 players. However, outside of the now injured Coquelin, it was the same team and gladly it was a very different performance.

Ozil and Sanchez ran the show. Ozil got the breakthrough in the 29th minute from of all things a header. Four minutes later it was Alexis with Arsenal's second. Alexis put the game to bed in the 69th minute and Arsenal's Champions League hopes are still alive.



Arsenal dominated this game and never looked in much danger, which makes it even more ridiculous that they were beaten by Zagreb in Match Day One.


With Bayern defeating Olympiakos, it comes down to Match Day 6 when Arsenal travel to Greece. If the Gunners win by 2 or more goals, they are through. The fact that they even have a chance after the club's horrendous start to the group stages is amazing.



In addition to Ozil and Sanchez, almost every other player on the pitch put in a good shift. For those that declared Arsenal's season over (yes there were some alarmists that actually said that) after losing Francis Coquelin for three months, Mathieu Flamini played well in his place. The defense was solid and both Santi Cazorla and Joel Campbell looked good throughout the match.

 Now it's time to take this good form and get back to the task of trying to win the EPL title.














 Sunday November 29, 2015 Arsenal at Norwich 11:15AM EST
It's time for Arsenal to get back to what they do best and that is winning. Starting today with Norwich, the team has a run of matches against the bottom clubs in the table. This is when Arsenal must pick up points.




The EPL table still seems a bit off with Leicester City at the top and one of the worst Manchester United sides I've ever seen still hanging around. A win today and Arsenal are level at the top with Manchester City and Leicester. If the team win by more than four goals then they go clear atop on goal differential.



Either way, these are matches that Arsenal must win. Let's hope that last week's horrendous performance and result at West Brom was just a blip.









 Once again it's a major let down for Arsenal against a team that they should easily be handling, After last week's loss at West Brom it was important for Arsenal to take advantage of another match against bottom of the table competition.



Mesut Ozil opened the scoring in the 30th minute and it was looking like they had control of the match.  Unfortunately, in the end it was another match where Arsenal dominated possession (63%) but failed to win. Some poor defending by Gabriel allowed Norwich to draw even two minutes before half time. Gabriel had come on in place of Laurent Koscielny who hobbled off after just 11 minutes.


Arsenal were unable to get the go ahead goal and they had to settle for just one point. Even worse was the news that Alexis Sanchez would be joining Coquelin, Wilshere and the rest of the injured Gunners.

With Manchester City winning, Arsenal now find themselves in fourth place; two points behind City and Leicester and one point behind United.











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Sunday, October 25, 2015

Arsenal 2015-2016: October

Sunday October 4, 2015 Arsenal vs. Manchester United 11AM EST




After another disastrous Champions League debacle at home to Olympiakos, here come the current EPL leaders Manchester United. I so miss those days of Arsenal and Manchester United battling each other for league supremacy. Sadly in recent years, it's been Arsenal battling themselves versus an inferior United. It's almost as if Arsenal let the aura of past United teams cause them to buckle every time they meet. If ever there was a time to right this, now would be it. How LVG and his crap squad have jumped to the head of the pack is hard to believe. With Chelsea becoming a weekly joke and no one other than Manchester City presenting a challenge, now is the time for Arsenal to make a statement. It has to happen. Let's do this.











Well, that was more like it. Arsenal won the game within the first 20 minutes with three quick goals courtesy of the sensational Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil. United couldn't keep up with the pace of Arsenal's attack and after taking a 3-0 lead, let United unsuccessfully chase the match. There have been so many games where Arsenal dominated the possession only to lose. Today it was different. I was actually surprised to see that United had 62% of the ball. Arsenal were in complete control and for once allowed the defensive side of their game show through.





Petr Cech was outstanding in goal and the central defensive partnership of Per Mertesacker and Gabriel was solid throughout the match. Bellerin and Monreal were quick on both sides of the ball and in the end it was the most comprehensive overall team performance of the season.




With Chelsea losing yesterday (again), United getting brought back down to earth and Liverpool drawing with Everton, it was a great day for Arsenal. Soon after the match came the news that Liverpool had fired Brendan Rodgers. While I have no animosity towards the guy, it's nice to go in to an international break not being the media's current "crisis club".




Onward and upward for the Arsenal.
























Saturday October 17, 2015 Arsenal at Watford 12:30PM EST




After a long two week international break it's back to the Premier League for Arsenal. The pre-break 3-0 domination of Man United gave the players and fans a strong dose of confidence to carry with them through the past two weeks.


With Moanrinho and his band of cheaters and fallen stars falling off the mark and the Sheikh's oil barons looking a bit vulnerable, all of a sudden the pundits are singing Arsenal's praises. So at the moment it's Arsenal for the title (although that could change to Wenger out within a moment's notice).

A visit to newly promoted Watford is the type of fixture Arsenal should easily win. As we've come to see, however, there are always surprises and upsets throughout the campaign. Here's hoping that this one is not one of those. A dominating romp versus weaker opponents would be a much more desirable result. 









Three was the number of the day. Three goals for Arsenal and three points in the table. Following some of the less patient Arsenal fans on Twitter throughout the first half, one would have thought that the team sucked, the manager should be fired, Aaron Ramsey was useless and all sorts of other unfounded negativity. The match remained 0-0 after the first 45.

Of course the Twitterverse was a lot more positive during the second half as Arsenal put their mark on the match with goals from Alexis Sanchez, Aaron Ramsey and Olivier Giroud. Mesut Ozil (who could have had a penalty had Sanchez not slotted home the ball after Ozil was fouled) played provider with two assists.

With victories for ManUre, Citeh and Moanrinho's Chelsea, it was an important victory with Arsenal remaining second in the table; two points behind the Sheikh's oil barons.

Jurgen Klopp made his debut as Liverpool manager at White Hart Lane and the snoozefest produced a 0-0 draw.

Next up for Arsenal is a visit from some small German club called Bayern Munich in the Champions League.









Tuesday October 20, 2015 Arsenal vs. Bayern Munich Champions League Group Stages Match Day 3 2:45PM EST



So this is it. Do or die for Arsenal and this year's Champions League competition. With disgraceful displays leading to inexcusable losses to Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos in the first two rounds of the group stages this is an almost must win. While expectations are low, there is an air of optimism surrounding the club after the team's most recent league victories over Manchester United and Watford.


Most Arsenal fans have probably already accepted the fact that the team is going out of the tournament in the group stages so the tension level today is not as high as it should be. Of course the pundits talk about Arsenal concentrating solely on winning the league, but in reality, it's extremely disappointing to qualify year after year for the Champions League and then go out early year after year.


So here's to a roll of the dice and let's see what happens.










 Wow. Proving why Arsenal can be an extremely frustrating club to support, the Gunners played perhaps their best game of the season and defeated the best team in Europe 2-0. After suffering spirit crushing defeats to lesser competition in Dinamo Zagreb and Olympiakos, no one really thought that Arsenal had a chance in hell of getting a result versus Bayern. However, something pretty amazing took place at The Emirates. Arsenal played a very un-Arsenal match. They let Bayern control the majority of the possession with tenacious defending and then caught the Germans on the fast break.


The breakthrough came in the 77th minute when substitute Olivier Giroud scored on a Santi Cazorla free kick which goalkeeper Manuel Neuer misplayed.


Then in stoppage time, the sensational Hector Bellerin sent in a cross which Mesut Ozil slotted in as Neuer batted the ball away. The ball was judged to have crossed the line and Arsenal had their 2-0 victory.

 Of course the win brought out the usual questions of why couldn't Arsenal put away their lesser opponents in the previous two matches. In the end, it wasn't a time for negatives, but a time to enjoy a hard fought victory over tough opponents that just may have kept Arsenal's Champions League dreams alive.












Saturday October 24, 2015 Arsenal vs. Everton 12:30PM EST


Arsenal head in to today's match on a great run of form and full of confidence. A midweek defeat of Bayern Munich when no one gave the team a chance was just what the doctor ordered. With Chelsea floundering, Liverpool proving no threat and the Manchester teams battling each other this weekend, this is a great opportunity for Arsenal to put some distance between them and the rest of the pack.

















Before Arsenal took to the pitch to meet Everton, the specialist in ego and his oil money team Chelsea, were humiliated once again and Moanrinho was event sent to the stands to watch his team lose after being reduced to ten men. It was an enjoyable prelude to play at The Emirates.


In what could only be described as a torrential downpour, Arsenal and Everton kicked off in monsoon weather.

Despite the conditions, Arsenal dominated the possession and never really looked in real danger. The breakthrough finally came in the 36th minute when Olivier Giroud headed home a Mesut Ozil cross. The second came just moments later when Laurent Koscielny met a Santi Cazorla pass with his head and Arsenal had a 2-0 lead.


Arsenal have a habit of scoring in bunches and it was starting to look like it may be an easy day at the office. Unfortunately the weather conditions and a bit of bad luck brought Everton back in to the match just before the half. Ross Barkley's shot was deflected in to the Arsenal goal off of Gabriel Paulista who was in the wrong place at the wrong time. It was one of those fluke goals that happens and the defender was at no fault for the bad bounce.

Arsenal held strong in the second half and showed their newly found more defensive side. Both teams had scoring opportunities and Petr Cech made a couple of great saves to ensure that the points went to the home team.

The victory left Arsenal top of the table with the Manchester Derby not being contested until the next day. Not bad for a club that was in "crisis" several weeks back according to the pundits.












Tuesday October 27, 2015 Arsenal at Sheffield Wednesday League Cup Fourth Round 3:45PM EST



After a string of good results Arsenal return to action in the League Cup. Having defeated Tottenham in the last round, Arsenal head to Sheffield today for a meeting with Sheffield Wednesday. As usual, Arsene Wenger is expected to give some of the youngsters and fringe players a chance to play and show what they've got.



Regardless of who Arsenal put out on the pitch, they should be capable of beating Championship side Wednesday and moving on to the quarterfinals. 







Shocking, pathetic, sad....these are just a few of the words that come to mind after watching this debacle. Arsenal had 71% of the possession but they never looked close to getting on the score sheet.

Whether it was the ridiculous third kit or the fact that a large number of regulars were not playing or both, this Arsenal side were a shambles. What makes it even more shocking is the fact that fringe players given the chance to prove why they should be playing regularly didn't take advantage of the opportunity they were given. Mathieu Debuchy, Calum Chambers and Kieran Gibbs didn't do too much to force Arsene Wenger's hand.


Arsenal had 71% of the possession but only managed six shots on goal. This stat proves that all the possession in the world will not win you a match unless you are capable of putting the ball in to the back of the net.

In the end, it didn't seem that too many Arsenal fans, including myself, were too upset about heading out of the League Cup. Often referred to as the "Mickey Mouse Trophy", it's true that Arsenal have bigger goals this season such as the Premier League and retaining the FA Cup for the third year running.








Saturday October 31, 2015 Arsenal at Swansea 11AM EST

After the midweek blip that was the League Cup it's time to get back to league action. Arsenal face a tough road match against bogey team Swansea City. It's still difficult for me to get the image Bafetimbi Gomis celebrating his goals versus Arsenal last season out of my mind.


Arsenal are flying high in the league and with Chelsea, United and Liverpool all under par it's looking like it may be an Arsenal versus Manchester City fight for the title based on recent form. A win over Swansea City will let ghosts of past seasons disappear and make a statement about Arsenal's title credentials.


With Chelsea losing for the sixth time in 11 matches today in Jurgen Klopp's first EPL victory as Liverpool manager, Arsenal have a great chance to show the specialist in being a narcissistic egomaniac how to get the job done.












The first half was frustrating with both teams looking a bit disjointed. Despite Arsenal's lack of pressure on the Swansea goal, the defense held up well and kept Swansea from getting an early lead. Maybe it's down to recent form, but I never felt worried that Arsenal weren't going to come away from Wales without a victory.

 The second half proved me right as Arsenal took the lead in the 49th minute when Olivier Giroud headed home a Mesut Ozil corner. This goal was the 2000th for the club under manager Arsene Wenger.


Former Arsenal keeper Lukas Fabianski made a mess of a save and set up Laurent Koscielny to score the Gunners' second goal in the 68th minute.



With Arsenal's injury crisis being what it is, Joel Campbell was given his first Premier League start and was pretty much told by Arsene Wenger "it's now or never" for his Arsenal career. The striker made a statement with some strong defensive work and by scoring Arsenal's third from an Ozil cross in the 73rd minute.



With Manchester City edging Norwich, Arsenal remain level on points with the Oil Barons but with a four goal deficit on deferential.



Next up...a small trip to Munich for a meeting with Bayern Munich in the Champions League.







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